


Still Feel

by Bobthehorse



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Angst, Bonding, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Issues, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25580188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bobthehorse/pseuds/Bobthehorse
Summary: The battle at the storm spire having come to a close and Viren launched off of a cliff by the newfound dragonguard captain, the Xadians and Humans are well and fully ecstatic. The dragon queen insisting that the soldiers from all parties stay for a while to heal before setting off, meaning plenty of time to celebrate and cover a few wounds between Humans and Elves. Meanwhile, a certain Crownguard is slowly but surely growing a close bond with one of the permanent residents.
Relationships: Callum & Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Ibis/Soren (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 38





	1. Social Cues

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! I'm planning for this to be my first multi-chapter fic about a growing relationship with Soren and Ibis. I thought the two of them had enough in common, Soren needed someone to confide in, and Ibis seemed a bit lonely. Personally, I love the ship, and I just wanted to write a little something about it. Hope you enjoy, leave any constructive criticism for the chapters to come in the comments!

It was a strange feeling, not running away from dragons, humans, and (in Rayla's case) water.

It was also strange for everyone at the storm spire to not be constantly verbally attacked racially by the other parties. Strange, but a drastic improvement from any previous events. Finally, it felt like the things they did were making a difference. Finally, instead of the precarious balance on which the patience of both humans and elves swaying more violently still, it had come to a screeching halt, as well as the fulcrum growing several times larger, almost ensuring a balance. Not everyone would adjust to these changes yet, though, despite shrinking considerably there was still plenty of snide comments snatching around everyone who hadn't heard of what happened that fateful day at the storm spire.  
There was, however, immeasurable growth in a couple that had already tossed considerable amounts of stigma to the dirt.

Even as Callum and Rayla touched down and Ezran, quickly followed by multiple soldiers of all races, came to bring them back down into the main room of the spire, they refused to move, in total shock, clutching onto each other so tightly it was incredible how even in the current state they both were in they weren't flinching in pain. After many attempts to bring them back to earth, the stunned silence between them slowly broke. Callum brought his hand up and cupped her cheek.

"I thought I lost you." He mumbled, his eyes full of emotion, whirring so quickly around that he, much less anyone else, could comprehend what he was feeling at the moment. Rayla had never seen this side of him before, but she expected she would, though admittedly not under these circumstances. He was such a sensitive, loving, incredible person, so much so that she had slowly begun to be as open as he was. She didn't say anything, tears dripping out of her purple eyes, as she pulled him towards her and hugged him. The crowd around them had begun to disperse, leaving Ezran, Soren and Ibis standing at the edge of the spire awkwardly. The sun was slowly dipping below the clouds and out of sight. Soren had an urge to shout over at them to get inside the spire, possibly some wry comment after that, but he simply glanced around and kept silent. eventually the two relinquished, hands falling naturally together and looking over at the small group standing near the edge. "Ez..." Callum began, before Ezran rushed at him and Rayla in a hug so furious it would impress Amaya. Eventually, the trio walked down the steps of the pinnacle with the prospect of food and a good rest allowing them to stumble down without tripping up and plummeting down the spire. Soren glanced at Ibis, the air around them suddenly silent and otherworldly. It was such an insane day, what with the battle and the dragons and his dad-

His stomach plummeted and he started walking down the spire in an attempt to reach the others, distract himself, escape from his thoughts awhile... Deep in thought, staring at the sky, he seemed to forget where he was. What with his father, his sister, where did he even start in his thoughts? Was there one single person left who was truly his family anymore? Claudia wasn't there to joke with him, listen to him, comfort him, and now that he thought about it in recent years his father thought him to be an object, never loved but useful in a pinch- _useful._ The word made him sound like even more of an object. Was he even worth anything emotionally, morally? His doubts intensified at the blow of losing his father and his sister to what he had contributed to. Unfortunately, while he was thinking he was drawing closer and closer to the stairs, stumbling a step and missing the curve. 

Time seemed to slow down from that point. as he tried to catch himself back, he simply started falling forwards more... There was nothing but clouds under him, his head was spinning from complete fear of such an early and anticlimactic death, leaving him with no closure and his friends in confusion until they would see his mangled body on the base of the storm spire-

A quick, light hand snatched his with surprising firmness and incredible speed jerked him back up in such a way that his arm felt no pain, save the sudden jerking movement of his wrist. He was still falling, yet towards solid ground that was significantly closer, as his mystery savior pulled him to his feet before he even hit the ground and he suddenly found himself nose to nose with them.

Still clutching Soren's hand and panting slightly, Ibis looked straight into his eyes for a fraction of a second and quickly dropped his hand, taking a step back. Soren took in that his savior was the person he had just stood next to for several awkward minutes while a group of people hugged it out, and stepped to the side as well, scratching the back of his neck.

"Uh... Thanks?" Soren said, not helping the awkward air in the slightest. Ibis simply looked at him, his expression unreadable. Soren gulped slightly, nodded in what he obviously thought was a brisk way, and set off after the others, heat rising slightly in his face. What was that all about? Was the guy just saving him because it was the completely moral and instinctive thing to do? Was Soren just trying to find some source of solstice with his family well away from him now? If he was going to do that, he might as well find out this guy's na-

"My name is Ibis. I don't think we've been formally introduced. I presume you're Soren, crownguard?" Soren stopped dead in his tracks and turned slowly around. God dammit, could this guy- Ibis- read his mind?

"Erm... That's right." Soren tentatively responded. He wasn't used to being spoken to like an equal, nor in this kind of tone. Usually people just called him 'sir' or 'crownguard'. Although he wasn't used to the change, he instantly preferred it. "Just Soren is fine. You don't have to call me by my title, or anything... Should I just call you Ibis or do you have a title you would want me to call you? I-" Soren was about to continue rambling onwards, but Ibis raised a hand, to which he instantly stopped talking. He did a mental facepalm. Why couldn't he talk in a way that wasn't completely awkward? Ibis continued talking in his formal and smooth voice. "You may call me by my true name. Any title I have is too long to be used practically." He stared out at the setting sun, Soren doing the same. It was strange. He had never really appreciated nature, light, any of these aesthetic things too much. After a short while of, not awkward but blissful silence, Ibis fidgeted a little and began walking down the stairs. "We should head back down. I don't doubt those close to you will want to see you."

Ibis set off at a brisk pace down the steps, Soren hesitating and taking another glance at the still-sinking sun. It was an incredible sight, serene, peaceful, with the eased wind and quiet. Maybe he would come back here. Maybe with Ibis. He turned his head back to the stairs and walked down (much more cautiously this time) after the others.


	2. Before the storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the dragon queen is awake from her depression coma and there's less than 15 minutes of daylight left, the soldiers spread around any rations they brought, the emotions around the room mixed just as the kingdoms and races are throughout the area. The monsters are being carted off, and Soren sits alone still, stewing in his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned previously, this chapter's gonna have plenty of angst and development in our little plot. Critique to improve any of my skills is appreciated as always in the comments. Happy reading!

The awakening of the dragon queen made a complete change in the mood of many, most of whom felt that if the queen was gone any hope was as well. Ibis was tending to the weariness and disorientation of the dragon queen, Rayla, Callum and Ezran were sitting on a handy patch of moss with a handful of other elves and humans, including queen Aanya, Several other groups of all races were scattered around, cleaning weapons, eating or else talking enthusiastically. The atmosphere of the room felt pleasantly cool and dry, unlike what it felt they had to endure from the nights previous. Maybe the dragon queen supplied an environmental change when she awoke; Callum was talking animatedly, positively giddy about all the magic and wonder around the storm spire and it's inhabitants. You could tell he was itching to go over and interrogate Ibis about all the magic he could.

One person wasn't feeling particularly festive at all.

Soren was crouched in the corner, nibbling at a corner of some half-stale bread he had packed before he sped off with his father and the majority of the Katolis army to take over the spire that he instead defended with his life. He was stupid, stupid for not realizing what his father had told him to do, a month previously. Stupid for going with him willingly, stupid for not going straight to the storm spire with Ezran when he could. At least his sister showed foresight, even if she chose the path that would've shattered any hope of peace. He'd been running away from these revelations too long, hiding behind his pride and his ego at being the youngest crownguard, when there were so many more people more worthy than him... Despite the small, reasonable voice that he had muffled behind his thoughts, he thought that all the casualties were because of him, that he could have stopped it in time...

A light, familiar hand tapped him on the shoulder. He looked around to see Ibis, who had walked straight over after the dragon queen was caught up on everything that happened. 

"May I sit here?" Asked Ibis, his throat sounding slightly hoarse from the explanation he had been giving the queen. Soren shrugged. "Knock yourself out."

Ibis leant against the wall beside him and slid down, looking downright exhausted.

"Want some... bread, or something?" Soren asked, holding up the side of the bread that he hadn't chewed on. Ibis gave a half-shrug that Soren took as a definite maybe. he snapped off the half he had been working on and gave Ibis the other one, who picked it up and looked at it halfheartedly. There was silence for a few moments, broken by Ibis.

"You've been looking quite forlorn for a while now. Is there anything I can do?" Ibis questioned. Soren looked over at him and gave him a weak smile.

"You've already saved my life, you don't need to do anything else. I can work this out."

"I don't doubt you can, but it's more easy when there's someone else supporting you while doing so. I insist." Ibis pressed on, a slight smile on his face. Soren felt a rush of pleasure at Ibis's offer, but hesitated seeing the bags under his eyes.

"You look tired, though, are you sure that you're-"

"Yes, i'm completely fine, it's you i'm worried about. you've been sitting here for hours, barely moving and, when I first came over, on the verge of tears." Ibis replied, slightly forcefully. Soren took a shuddering sigh and slackened.

"It's just been a rough day, y'know? What with the fight, and the dragons and my family-"

He stopped talking and swallowed, suddenly unable to talk any more. To his pleasant surprise, Ibis put his hand on his arm.

"It's alright. It's late, you don't have to talk about anything now." Ibis said, attempting to cool down the hoarseness in his throat to sound soothing. He, too, slackened against the wall as the voices in the cavern slowly dissipated in a chain reaction to bids of goodnight, the clanking of everything slowing down, some archers and guards moving out to keep watch at the base and the entrances, for an extra level of security. A slight chill had spread across the spire. Soren looked around, his fatigue getting the better of him, and he lay his head down drowsily on the closest thing he could feel. A few minutes later, as he sunk into sleep, he felt a head lightly sink on top of his.

Soren's head on Ibis's shoulder and Ibis's head leant on Soren's, the pair of them slept more soundly than they had in days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! that one was really fun to write, and I hope you got some level of enjoyment out of reading it. As promised, we got some intimacy between them and a bit of Soren angst. next chapter, someone might accidentally stumble on them in the same position as they had drifted off in... also gonna emphasize one of the most emotionally stirring (in my opinion) scenes in all of TDP. thanks for reading, and as always, critique is greatly appreciated!


	3. Unspoken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set in the morning after the battle, the visiting soldiers begin to file out of the spire and the trio who brought Zym back are called by the dragon queen, while a rather embarrassing situation is stirred up for Soren and Ibis, both of them attempting to wrangle the thoughts kicking up dust in their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //WARNING//  
> Hello again! This chapter's gonna have a LOT of angst, including some reference to PTSD that Soren may have picked up, and I want to clairify now that it's entirely in the standpoint of the reader if they want to interpret some of what I've written here in different ways. Just a fair warning, I think this chapter may disturb some readers.

Ibis was in that glorious state between asleep and awake. He felt he was half-sitting on a rough surface, depending his balance on a warm... something. He opened his eyes slightly and cleared out his mouth from the irritating feeling that it had been filled with sand all night- His mouth must have fallen open some time in the night, same as his posture had slid down and leant on the strange thing further then he had remembered. He opened his eyes wider, his vision still slightly blurred and his mind clearing out the blissful blankness that had taken it over, and moved his eyes around the room.

He was inside the storm spire, light pouring through the entrance and a variety of humanoids from both species moving about, some stationed at the entrance, their shadows stretched long throughout the spire and falling on others, who seemed to be packing up or otherwise sitting with their weapons and possessions, cleaning them out and checking them. His eyes travelled over to the dragon queen, who was sitting on her nest, the infant dragon absent from the center of it. The dragon prince was probably frolicking with the humans who knew him so well or something. His eyes drifting back blankly again, he fidgeted and was about to resume sleeping when he realized...

He sat bolt upright, panicking, widening his eyes so they focused faster, glancing over at the thing he had been using as a pillow for the entire night, hoping he wouldn't see what he didn't want to see-

There he was, Soren, crownguard to the king of Katolis, oversleeping like he had with a slight dribble of drool coming out of the corner of his mouth. Gods DAMN it, had they really spent the whole night like this? What if anyone had seen them? That would look downright unprofessional, and he was sure that no one would ever let him forget it. While he fretted and glanced around the spire for any observers so fast that his eyes appeared blurred, Soren stirred on the floor next to him, his mutual pillow having jerked away.

"Wha... Whasgoinon-" Soren mumbled, blinking himself out of sleep. He seemed to notice Ibis beside him and was merely confused about his panicked face.

"Ibis? what-" Suddenly it seemed to dawn on him, an educated guess on Ibis's part as Soren suddenly let out a yelp and stood up so fast that Ibis fell backwards.

"OHMYGOD! Where's Ezran? How long did I oversleep? Wait, does that mean- Last night-?" The rest of his words were simply spluttering, which Ibis took as his full understanding.

"If you're wondering whether we overslept because we were using each other as oversized pillows, you'd be correct. We'd better get moving before anyone notices us-" Or was it too late? Had the volunteer guards from Duren noticed them when they changed shifts at what, 5 in the morning?

"I don't doubt that the dragon i'm supposed to be protecting with my life is with your king. If we split up and work together, we should be able to find them both without further damage to any reputations here!" Without waiting for a response, Ibis bustled off, hitting himself in the face with a gust of wind from his hand so his face and hair blew back into an upright and awake form. Still mortified and in confused shock, Soren walked off with an expression appropriate to being hit in the face with Barious' rolling pin.

They managed to find Ezran and Zym fairly quickly, being carefully watched over by Rayla, which brought at least a small amount of relief to Ibis's face. Thank Garlath that someone fairly responsible was watching over them, or the dragon queen would have been out for his blood. Ibis gave a quick nod to them in an attempt to avoid contact as much as possible. Unfortunately, this didn't work. Rayla walked over to him, a curious expression on his face.

"Where've you been?" She asked, with genuine enough curiosity. Ibis breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"My deepest apologies. I slept in." He responded curtly. It was close enough to the truth... While he pretended to have just seen Soren for the first time today as he sat down near Ezran and Zym, he felt Rayla's piercing gaze examining him for any hint of misdirection. Eventually, her expression deemed him clear, and he set off for the dragon queen promptly.

Ezran noticed Soren's arrival, but didn't pay too much attention to it as Soren sat quietly and continued chewing on his stale bread. Ezran seemed to be too busy playing with Zym to have noticed what happened that made him so late, until he walked over to him and gave him a smile that could only be achieved by a person of his wholesomeness-

"You and Ibis looked pretty cute this morning!" He said, his smile unfaltering as he ran off towards Zym again, leaving Soren in gaping shock. Please don't let him tell everyone, please don't let him tell everyone, please don't-

Ezran went right over to Callum, who had noticed Soren's look of open-mouthed embarrassment and came over to seemingly ask Ez what was up. Hurriedly looking away, he looked over at someone itching their ear with determined concentration to focus on nothing but that. Deciding a walk to the other side of the bridge would be beneficial, he started walking off, beginning to feel Callum's stare as he hurried out of the entrance.

The sun was fairly high in the sky already, but that didn't make the view any less stunning. Soren crouched down and stared off the edge off the spire, allowing his murky thoughts to surface again, confident that he would be able to handle them...

He was back at the bottom of the spire, the smoke clouding the former battlefield, the bodies of those monsters mixed in with his fallen allies. He had just taken out another spike holding a dragon to the ground, when he saw Ezran running through the area between a few rocks. Odd...

He followed him at a distance, when suddenly he sighted his sister. He uneasily slid his sword out of his sheath slightly and started jogging towards them. He had to get Ezran away from her, she wasn't stable enough to be near him- Then, as if it was a nightmare come true, Viren rose from a tarp, pretending to be a harmless body...

Soren was full out sprinting now. He drew his sword completely out of his sheath, and just as Viren rose his staff above Ezran, pure murder in his eyes, Soren reached them and shouted-

"Drop the staff, father!"

The blood was pounding through his head now. He repeated his order at some point, said something about the battle, and raised his sword, glinting off of the late afternoon light. Without prior warning, Viren began one swoop, one that would certainly finish the small boy cowering before him-

He didn't even remember stabbing at first. When he dragged his sword back out of Viren's shaking, suddenly frail and colorless body, the staff clattering to the ground and blood blooming out of the wound and staining his robes as Viren, the mad king, the failed conqueror, but most of all his _dad,_ brought his quivering hands to his heart and looked into Soren's eyes once more before dropping onto the ground, the blood still spreading and his robes rising with breaths no more. As he fell, Soren's eyes fell onto Claudia. His sister, one of the only people who had been there for him all his life, staring at him like he was nothing more than a monster, her eyes widened and filled with such pain and betrayal it was like Soren had stabbed her instead of Viren. Her face fell into pure hatred. It was unlike anything he had never seen before in her, and he dropped his sword, his hands shaking so hard he wasn't able to lift it properly. 

"How could you?"

Claudia's voice wasn't shaking in grief or shock. Her tone was so laced with intense hatred that Soren almost flinched. What the hell had happened to her? What had he done?

Soren suddenly came back to earth, his knees to his chest like a small child and his knuckles so white they were almost transparent with how tight he was clutching his knees. It was another second before he noticed that he was quietly sobbing. He didn't bother to wipe the tears away, too distracted with what he had just relived. He absent-mindedly started at the sheer drop of the spire. Certainly looked a long way down.

A whooshing noise brought Soren back to his senses. He looked around wearily, the tear tracks shimmering on his face, when he saw Ibis come down with wings in replacement for his arms. Soren promptly looked away from him, embarrassed for him- or anyone to see him in a state of such weakness. Ibis either didn't notice or didn't mind, as he promptly walked right up to where Soren was sitting and took a seat himself. A few moments of silence went between the two, until Soren unsuccessfully let a few more tears drop and he looked away. Ibis cleared his throat.

"The queen told me... What happened. She had heard it from the prince, who we believe was informed by King Ezran."

Soren didn't respond, instead waiting until Ibis was looking back out at the clouds to dry his tears.

"I wanted you to know that, despite any potential awkwardness from the previous night, what I said still stands. It's always worth having someone help you through your grief." ibis continued in a soft voice. Soren gulped down the lump in his throat and looked to Ibis.

"Well... I don't know where to start, what with my dad and my sister and everything. I'm just really useless, you know? I should have gone to Xadia with Ezran and Callum in the first place, instead of double-crossing them and everything. I should have gotten here sooner and told everyone about what my dad was going to do. I'm trying to make it up to them, but it's hard, because even if they trust me now I don't think I can ever even trust myself again-" Soren's eyes started tearing up again, the lump in his throat growing. He tried to continue, he tried to hold in his tears in the presence of Ibis, something he ultimately couldn't go through with as the tears started pouring like the rain again. As he cried, he felt a feathered wing lightly cross his shoulders in a one-armed squeeze.

"I haven't gone through anything that you've suffered in this past month." Soren quieted down enough at Ibis's wing and his voice to listen. "But I know for a fact that showing emotions isn't weakness in the slightest, rather a great strength. If you hadn't come when you did, we probably would have been almost clueless. It was a combined effort defending this spire and you were a key part in all phases of it."

There was no doubt about it, Soren was calming significantly. Ibis dried his tears with the tip of his wing and turned to face him.

"Soren, you're one of the strongest, bravest and most emotional people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I just-" Ibis stopped talking abruptly. It seemed he couldn't speak- the vast quantity of what he was experiencing at the moment was too much to process. Instead, he simply sat next to Soren, both of their minds accepting that what happened was what happened. as they stared into the vast overlay of clouds before them, they were looking to where they wanted to be; free, free from the grief that Ibis felt right through Soren, and they knew that they were already well on the way. No words were said. They understood that it was best to leave it all to slowly process, to eat up every last minute they sat beside each other, Ibis's wing still over Soren's shoulder.

The rest of the conversation was finished unspoken.


	4. Align

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time for the departure of Ezran and Co. has been set, Soren is slowly coming to realize something that will send his world spinning yet again, and Ibis begins to wonder what the hell Soren is doing and if he's OK.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, been a long while since I've written... Extremely sorry for the extended absence, just been figuring out my own life. I'm super happy to be writing again. I hope y'all enjoy this one, there's gonna be some developments...

It was a peaceful silence, unlike any other moment they had shared.

The previous time, they were unaware they had passed out on each other. It was blissful ignorance, a temporary escape from the heavy responsibility of confronting trauma head-on. Momentary bliss, a moment half-accidentally shared. Rather beautiful in this respect.

However, the knowledge that Soren wasn't alone and had someone to listen to, someone that hadn't gone through what he had but still had empathy that if his wisdom were jelly tarts they could almost satisfy Ezran's never-ending thirst for them. Almost. Soren smiled a little thinking of this analogy, Ibis's wing now an arm linking his. For whatever reason, it was causing an infinite wave of butterflies in his stomach. At least his mind was now clear- almost entirely clear of pain. Not shoveled away to the corner of his mind, left stale in an attempt to forget it and therefore mutating to several times its previous size, but cleared. Solved. Close

It was Ibis who had helped bring this closure about. The space had been filled again with smaller thoughts, nicer thoughts, but there was still one uncertainty weighing his mind.

Who would be there once he left?

It was inevitable, he was the Crownguard and eventually the crown would have to return to Katolis, and he would have to follow with it. It was his duty and there was no space in his mind for abandoning it. Sure, Callum, Ezran and probably Rayla too would be there, but however much he liked them, their minds weren't like his. Ibis was like a link. Someone who was like him, who truly could understand without experiencing it themselves. It was so easy to talk to him, to be near him. He knew of something deep in his heart that he didn't want to consider yet, but no matter how much he denied it, the possibility became more and more real. 

Forcing himself back to reality, the magnitude of the spire came back to him in full intensity, but he wasn't intimidated by it. A few days at the spire had made him feel accustomed to the altitude. The view was breathtaking. Ibis, however, seemed to be more focused on something else. The sun was tipping slowly down from above them. Soren suddenly noticed how long he had been spending sitting there. He glanced over at Ibis, who... Seemed to already be looking at him.

"We should probably... Get moving. To the person and dragons we protect and stuff." Soren awkwardly stated, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes, that would indeed be a good idea. I believe the dragon queen wanted to host a small meeting with the king." Ibis stated. His eyes seemed to have an odd light in them, more than the glint of the sun. His spiked hair gently waved with the wind, the marks on his face illuminating him down to his hands, interestingly with the perfect number of fingers to interlock a human hand-

Soren internally panicked as what was a possibility was now a infuriatingly childish and embarrassing truth. He desperately tried to reenter the conversation.

"Want to hold- WHEN does the dragon queen expect us to be accompanying the king to...?" Soren, very intelligently, replied.

Ibis cocked his head slightly at this unorthodox statement as Soren screamed internally, blood slowly beginning to flow to his face and his eyes bulging slightly with the barely contained pressure of what is scientifically referred to as 'Gay panic'. Eventually Ibis managed to process the bulk of the statement.

"Oh, when the dragon queen wishes the meeting to commence?" Soren, now working his way up to becoming a tomato, nodded as to clarify.

"Well, she did arrange it to begin shortly. Your presence is not required, so if you needed to... Use the restroom or something. It's also possible we could rearrange the meeting slightly."

"No, no, i'm alright-" Soren managed to articulate. He stumbled forwards a few steps in the direction of the bridge. Ibis promptly caught him on the arm and supported him.

"Can't have you falling off again, can we?" Ibis smiled, making Soren's insides melt for the seventh time in the span of thirty seconds. They walked back across the bridge, Soren barely coming to his senses and looking slightly sick, Ibis in mild concern for his health.

"When do you think we should leave?"

"The best option is tomorrow afternoon. The sooner, the better. You all need to get back to Katolis."

The meeting had started, Ezran, Callum, Rayla, Bait and Corvus standing in front of Zubeia and Zym, Ibis and Soren with their respective groups. Zym and Ezran standing in opposite groups seemed odd somehow, as was the seperation of Soren and Ibis. Soren was barely taking in a word of the meeting, most of his attention focused on further, yet more mild panic and contemplation about what to do with these newfound thoughts and feelings for Ibis. They didn't even know each other that much and he was just now getting to this realization, but now all of a sudden a deadline that felt so far off was now staring straight into his eyes.

"A battalion of sunfire elves will escort you..."

"Secure communications will be arranged on your journey..."

"We don't need too much security, we know what we're doing..."

The words came in and out of his head as he continued the war he waged against himself. Part of him wanted to just ignore the obvious butterflies in his stomach whenever he was close to Ibis, but most of him yearned to let him know somehow. Maybe it could work. But they would be living in entirely different places, a long stretch between them. Even if Ibis didn't have the same feelings he was still his friend.

Soren felt Ibis's eyes sidle over to him. Soren didn't think twice and took the opportunity to flash him a quick grin. Ibis looked confused and slightly concerned, as if Soren was coming down with something. Soren's smile slowly slipped off his face and looked in any other direction than Ibis.

The shuffle of the group dissembling gave Soren the signal that the meeting was over. Breathing a sigh of relief, he glanced over to Ezran and Zym, who were playing again. He was sure both of them would be immensely sad to part ways for the time being. Yet, there was something about them that gave the radiation that they knew that they would be alright. Soren instantly wished his problem was as simple. He glanced wistfully at Ibis, who was speaking with the Queen.

Ezran looked up at Soren and beamed. Soren smiled back in a way he hoped wouldn't give anything away. Ezran responded with a concerned expression, and he instantly knew he had failed in that aspect.

Ezran walked up to him.

"Hey, Soren!" He beamed.

"Hey, Ez..." Soren replied half-heartedly, shifting to a position he could comfortably talk to the king. Ezran instantly noticed his tone and jumped right to the point.

"You look kinda sad. What's up?" He asked innocently. Soren sighed a little and his eyes flitted to Ibis once more. He knew that Ezran would see right through him if he said that everything was fine, So he decided to open up.

"Oh, it's just... You and Zym won't see each other for a little while now, and there are some- things I have my mind on."

"Oh." Ezran responded. He remained quiet for a moment.

"It's Ibis, right? You might miss Ibis while you're away." Soren gulped- Ezran had found what was troubling him with ease.

"Well... Yeah. It's a bit more complicated." Soren responded. Ezran nodded, his face filling with that look he always had when he was about to say something mature.

"When you guys are apart, you could always spend a little while thinking about them and stuff. I did it every day when I went to Katolis and was away from Zym and Callum and Rayla, and it helped me get through it a little better. Me and Zym are spending as much time as we can together before we leave, maybe you could try to do that, too. Maybe the communication thing that we were talking about in the meeting will work for you and Ibis, too!" Ezran finished cheerily, looking up at Soren.

A smile slowly grew on Soren's face. Everything Ezran said was right. There was still time to tell Ibis, still time to get to talk and work things out! It just... Took him a while to realize. As well as his monarch.

"Thanks, Ez." Soren said, his confidence boosting. He took another glance towards Ibis as Ezran trotted away to continue playing with Zym, this time his face determined.

Night had fallen. A faint light came in through the entrance and a breeze blew through the spire as the majority of the people within slept under blankets and cloaks.

All except for two people.

Ibis was on one end of the cavern, doing general checks and spells around the inside of the spire, like he had been doing the past months nearly alone in the storm spire. He was finishing his final few within the spire and was about to walk up to the pinnacle to do a final look around the outside of the spire.

Meanwhile, Soren was already sitting at the pinnacle, feeling defeated. The stars mapped out above him as he sighed in the slight cold. He had attempted to speak with Ibis the entire day, but every time he saw him he was talking with someone else or in close proximity to the others.

His armour piled on the surface beside him, he was just wearing his black tunic and pants, his cloak laying overtop of the pile of armour. Giving into the assumption that he would have to try again tomorrow, no matter how awkward the circumstances, he shifted in his seat and sighed up at the stars, the beautiful span of the cosmos stretching out before him.

Then Ibis walked up the steps, making it even more beautiful.

"Oh, hello, Soren! I didn't know you were up here." Ibis greeted him fairly cheerily. Soren smiled widely and stood up.

"So, what're you doing up here this time of night?" Ibis asked casually. Soren blushed a little, which Ibis didn't see in the dark.

"Oh, nothing, y'know. Just needed to clear my head a little." He responded, his eyes drawing up to Ibis's vivid blue eyes, which looked luminescent in the dark. Ibis stepped closer.

"Would you like me to go back down below? I'm awfully sorry for interrupting." He asked, completely oblivious to the context of Soren's gaze.

Soren jumped back to reality. "Oh, no, I'd actually it if you stayed." He quickly responded. Ibis walked up and stood beside him in mutual silence, staring up at the stars above. Eventually Soren broke the silence.

"Listen, Ibis, I really appreciate you staying with me and listening to me and stuff. Like, I feel kind of... Alright again, y'know?"

Ibis didn't know how to respond.

"Anytime. I'm happy your feeling better." Ibis smiled and patted Soren's shoulder, sending another volley of butterflies coursing through Soren's stomach.

"Yeah, well, I've been thinking, and, well, uh..." Soren spluttered into silence, peaking Ibis's curiosity.

"Hmm?" Ibis looked to Soren to go on.

"I just kinda- well, I do- uhm." Soren stopped and gulped. He couldn't do this. He might as well just say that it was nothing and go down to the chamber to hide. His brain was refusing to work, he just wanted to leave and be done with all this stupid awkward buisness.

He looked to the stars and felt a sudden surge of energy. He COULD do this. He wasn't going to let awkwardness and hesitation get in his way. This sudden realization made his brain suddenly click, like his gut was aligning like the stars. He felt like this connection would lead to something more than just a simple relationship. He channeled all his bravery, and going numb through his entire body, slid his hand into Ibis's, pivoting around and bringing his lips to Ibis's.

All of a sudden, all his bravery and excitement at doing something so monumental was instantly replaced with complete panic. He stammered harder than ever, freaking out more and more. Ibis stood in stunned silence for a brief moment, his brain working so fast you could practically hear the whirring.

"SHIT! I'm so sorry, I didn't think, I just pivoted, I didn't ask you or anything-"

"Soren."

"Oh my god, I just did it, it was my fault, I'm sorry, it's okay if you hate me now-"

"Soren!"

"Please don't tell the others, I wish I was never born, It was an impulse, you didn't initiate it or anything even-"

"SOREN! I enjoyed it."

The Crownguard instantly ceased his stuttering and stared at Ibis, open-mouthed.

"Wait... What? You did?" He could barely believe his ears.

"Yes, I did." Ibis gave a small smirk before quietly stepping up and returning the favor. Soren slowly sank into it, his hands moving forwards to Ibis's. The stars in Soren's mind aligned as they stood there, swaying slightly, not parting for a very long time, as the final piece of their lives clicked into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was certainly a ride!  
> The final chapter will be out before the end of 2020. I'll post it on my social medias, so keep a look out for those :3  
> Seriously, I can't thank y'all enough. The support you've given me has really helped me push through a pretty dark chapter in my life. I express myself through these fics and stories, and you can bet your life I will continue making them.  
> Thank you all for everything, and until the next chapter, peace!


	5. Impending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the crazy events of the night before, Soren and Ibis have finally clicked. Unfortunately, the impending departure back to Katolis rears its ugly head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to plan another chapter after this one because I wanted the next one to be a proper sendoff.
> 
> I know some aspects of the fic have been rushed so far, especially the previous chapter, but I'd like to thank you for sticking around with me so long. It's been a hell of a journey, and the writing of this fic has given me a lot of well-earned experience.
> 
> I'm gonna be pumping out the last chapter ASAP, and after that I have a few more projects planned, so stay tuned!

The sound of the two heart's alligned beating echoed in Ibis's ears, him and Soren curled up together on the same spot of the storm spire they had previously slept at. Dawn was still some hours away, but the faint glimmer of the sun's rim was visible through the doorway to the heart of the spire. When they were walking back in, it was rather awkward passing the varied guards posted all around the outside of the spire, but they allowed them through without judgement, only curiousity. However, after all, they were expected to act professional, and professionalism involved not intruding on personal matters.

Soren's head lay on Ibis's chest, his eyes shut tight, his back arching slightly up and down as he breathed softly. Ibis was sat with his shoulders against the wall. It wasn't that bad of a position to sleep, but he still couldn't. His head was racing still from the events before, but also from the fear of what would happen next. If Queen Zubeia or King Ezran were to find out about this, they probably wouldn't know how to take it either. Probably with embarassing lectures on maintaining integrity and dignity in the workplace. That wouldn't matter soon enough, though, as Ezran and the rest of the Katolis troops would be returning home soon enough, including Soren, leaving Ibis alone with what may be irrational hopes that he would come back someday.

What had happened that night was something Ibis couldn't have prepared for, not just because he didn't expect Soren to feel that way, but from reasons right down to the previous absurdity that Viren would usurp the throne of Katolis and rage a warpath with the western kingdoms at his side. Viren. Soren's father. Another thing to add to the list of unexpected things. At least there would be no awkward dinner with his family. Ibis chuckled to himself quietly and then sank back into the sickening feeling in his stomach.

  
  


It was several hours after Ibis had fallen into a light, queasy sleep, that the rays of light warming his face abruptly stopped as something came over them. Ibis's eyes blinked open in a squint, the excitement from the night before leaving a tiny nauseous sensation in his gut. He could see a silhouette standing over them, kind of like a smallish dog, with features blurry and unrecognizable. He rubbed his eyes and opened them wider to focus them.

Pawing near him, a curious expression in their large eyes, was Azymondius, or Zym, as the nickname that had been dubbed to him. The small dragon clambered up onto him and sniffed at him, giving Ibis a small start. Infant dragons really were like small animals.

"Ach. Stop that." He muttered in a sleepy voice, gently brushing Zym's face away. The Dragon saw he was awake and stepped back, giving a happy little growl and lightly wagging his tail… Over Soren's face.

The Crownguard wrinkled his nose as the fluff at the end of the tail travelled back and forth over it, the reptilian part beneath thwapping his chin. 

"Hmprhm?" He mumbled, sitting up and making Zym jump off Ibis's chest, who scattered away a few meters, still looking at them with puppy eyes and smiling.

Soren felt Ibis below him, and after a moment of recollection of the night before, turned his eyes to face him, a soft smile on his lips, his face squished slightly to the side. Ibis returned the smile playfully.

"Has anyone ever expressed how cute you look after you wake up?" He asked, fluffing Soren's hair a little. Already, he could feel energy lost from the troubled sleep rejuvenating from Soren's form in the soft glow of sunrise. Soren grinned and inched forwards up Ibis's chest, who tilted his head down and gently met his warm, soft lips-

The soft moment was interrupted by the padding of footsteps, lighter ones from a child and heavier, odder-paced ones from a teenager.

"There you are, Zym! What are you doing over… Here…" 

Ibis felt eyes on them and quickly pulled back from the kiss. Soren scrambled off of Ibis, but their actions were for nought- As they both took in the people ahead of them, it was already too late. Ezran and someone who was now evident to be Callum had seen them, and the look of incredilous confusion and very slight amusement made Soren flush. Ezran cocked his head like a puppy.

"Wait, so does that mean that you guys are-" He began.

"Well-" Ibis looked uncertainly at Soren, who decided to take a deep breath, sit up, and kneel in front of Ezran so he was level with him.

"So, Ez. There's something that happens when two people grow close to each other-"

He looked to Callum, who was still slightly surprised, but was giving him a warning glance. Soren veered off course.

"Yes. Yes, I guess we are." He replied hastily, looking around them to make sure no one else had seen. He looked Ezran dead in the eyes again, who seemed to be in dawning realization.

"Me and Ibis have spent a lot of time together, and I know you're very mature and responsible, so I'm going to ask you not to tell anyone about what just happened."

Ezran seemed quite confused still at these instructions, but nodded anyways, a serious look on his face.

"It's safe with me, Soren." He responded in a very serious tone. He cracked into a smile soon afterwards.

"I'm happy for you guys! You're cute together." 

Ezran happily trotted away, leaving Soren in a fair amount of relief. Ezran was, at heart, still a little kid, but he was a little kid with large reserves of wisdom. It kind of amazed Soren at times.

He stood up and looked to Callum, who didn't appear to have anything to say. Soren didn't, either. He could imagine that Callum was still a little bit confused as to how all of this was playing out, but the slightly awkward moment was broken by Rayla walking up to them, apparently not having noticed Soren and Ibis beforehand, which was a bit of a relief. Her face was the form it took whenever she was about to speak business, which Callum quickly recognized. She gestured for Ibis to come listen too before speaking.

"The Dragon queen wants to meet with us, Ezran's already gone over to her. I think it's about our timing for going back to Katolis."

Soren nodded, and glanced to Ibis, slight worry growing in his chest again. He knew he couldn't stay forever, but now that this new… thing had been established with the skywing, he wished he could stay a little longer. Nevertheless, the four of them set off towards the Dragon queen. Soren mentally prepared himself for hearing the date that he and Ibis would split and not see each other for possibly a long time.

  
  
  


The meeting cleared up many details. Ezran, Aanya, Janai, Amaya, Soren, Ibis, Callum, Rayla and Zym were the primary figures attending, with scattered guards about.

Amaya would be returning to the breach to await further decisions, with Janai and her soldiers continuing their stay at the Storm Spire to continue discussions about the future.

Ezran would be returning to Katolis, in a travelling party with Aanya and the remaining soldiers from Katolis and Duren. Callum and Rayla would be going to Katolis with him, as Rayla's current placement in the Silvergrove was unclear.

Finally, Soren would be going with Ezran, and Ibis would be staying placed at the Storm Spire.

The time of their departures was set to be the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun chapter to write, my apologies for the long hiatus.
> 
> Maybe not the best articulated, but I'm getting back into the swing of things. As always, critique is greatly appreciated, and I'll see you for the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Phew, that was a journey! Next chapter, for our angst lovers, we'll have a bit of brooding and a nice little bittersweet end, while fluff enthusiasts and Soren/Ibis shippers will have a lot more fuel in their tanks, hopefully. until next time, and as I said feel free to send any constructive criticism over through the comments!


End file.
